​Busyness,

I may have written about this before. It is something that really bugs me.
“I was going to respond to your email, but I’ve been too busy. I was going to call you but I had stuff to do. I was going to stop over and see how you’re doing but time got away from me. Let’s schedule a time to get together, when I have time, later. I’ll let you know when I am available. It would be great to get together, sometime.” I was going to write a new blog but I got busy doing stuff.

It goes on and on! The busyness factor that lets you know where you stand in the pecking order. Right at the bottom. Now, I have a number of people who ask for my counsel on cultural and theological subjects. They have asked some insightful questions, and I feel like maybe we have some sharing and learning going on. But busyness gets in the way. They ask a “meaning of life question” and I take the time to write a thoughtful reply. What do I get in return? “I haven’t read your email yet, but I plan to.” (it was more than a 6-8 sentence text message so requires too much effort on their part.) Wow! Thanks for gracing me with a short moment of your precious time. Luckily, I didn’t have anything better to do with MY time.

Mind you, these are not usually strangers, but people whom I have known most of their lives. How many people do you know who will suck up your time only as their needs require and then blow you off when they have other “stuff” to do? Growing up, I tried to never ask my elders useless questions on things of no value. Because I have always valued the time people spent helping me, answering questions, offering guidance, I was often taken under the wing of wiser people.  

Here on my blog I often get questions on knives, what type are they and what are they worth? Sometimes the questions are nicely put. Other times they are demanding and rude. The thing is, I don’t think those people even know how their communications come across. We are a people inundated with communications beyond imagination and yet fail to understand how to properly inquire or request information in a civil manner. The more advanced our technology gets, the more primitive we become as a culture. In fact I question whether we have any culture left at all. Don’t fall victim to the culture of busyness and forget to make time for friends and relatives.